Unlike the college football team in town, the Cardinals will try not to leave a mess in their finale

Unlike the college team in town, the Cardinals will try not to leave a mess.

Start with Ken Whisenhunt, who can end his winless streak against Seattle's Pete Carroll. From the head coach's perspective, there is a huge difference between 8-8 and 7-9.

One set of numbers represents a stunning success. The other is just another losing record.

John Skelton will likely have one more chance to play a complete game, shedding a growing stigma and setting up a legitimate quarterback competition heading into the offseason. Early Doucet can atone for his strange trip in Cincinnati, the one that prompted a curious Twitter rebuke from Larry Fitzgerald's father.

Meanwhile, Calais Campbell can remind everyone that he deserves to represent the Cardinals' defense in the Pro Bowl, and not Adrian Wilson.

"It would've been nice to go," Campbell said. "But I know I played my heart out. And I know I helped my team win games."

The Pro Bowl is a diluted, diminished disgrace of a football game. It's not even worth the outrage, even though Campbell wasn't one of five alternates at his position. But for the sake of posterity, Wilson's fourth consecutive appointment is not a fair depiction of a resurgent defense in Arizona, or how erratic Wilson has performed over the past two years.

In 2011, Campbell was the team's best defensive player, hands down. And with hands up, he's made the Cardinals poster boys for field goal defense.

Through 15 games, the unit has blocked four field goals, and Campbell has three of them. Dating back to 2008, the team has 11 blocked field goals, most in the NFL. Reputation alone tilts the game in their favor.

"I do believe it gets in (the opponent's) head," Whisenhunt said. "I've heard from other kickers that they have concerns about our rush. And if they feel that way before the game, then you've accomplished what you're trying to do."

At 6-foot-8, Campbell is the key to it all. He's a towering presence in the middle, almost like Bill Russell was on a basketball court. Along with a speed rusher off the edge (once Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, now Patrick Peterson), the unit has clearly stricken fear in opposing kickers, who have combined to make 33-of-45 field goal attempts against the Cardinals.

That percentage (73.3) is the second-lowest in the NFL. The number of misses (12) is the highest in the league. Both represent one of the small victories in 2011.

"That's been a point of emphasis since I've been here," Whisenhunt said. "One of the ways you judge a football team is put on the field goal block tape because a lot of times that's where you see guys take plays off. Our guys haven't done that. And we're fortunate to have guys who are really good at it."

In the NFL, a football weighs 1.2 pounds. It's pointy, slick, and if it hits you in the wrong place, it will leave a mark. Blocking a kick or a pass is not as easy as it looks, and Campbell excels at both. And from the core group of players expected to have bounce-back seasons on defense (Wilson, Darnell Dockett, etc.), Campbell is the only one to post a career year.

"A few guys have told me after games that I'm having a Pro Bowl year," Campbell said. "Another guy told me that I really made him earn his check that week. That makes you feel good."

Mostly, it has been a forgettable football season in Arizona. Dennis Erickson lost his job while his bosses became targets of wrath. The Cardinals missed the playoffs once again, enduring the nightmare of a six-game losing streak (the equivalent of a 60-game losing streak in baseball). But with a well-timed victory and the performances of young players like Campbell, the pro team in the Valley can leave with their helmets held high.

That's the nature of football, where you're only as good as your last game.

Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to "Bickley and MJ" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on KGME-AM (910).